What it means
Hype is that loud cloud of excitement around something when people can't stop talking about it and everyone's itching for the drop, the film, the match, whatever's coming. You can also hype something up by bigging it up, or hype someone up by gassing them and getting their energy sky-high.
Usage examples
"The hype around the new album is unreal."
"My friends hyped me up before the interview."
"The game's not even out yet and the hype's already gone feral online."
"Don't panic, we're gonna hype you up before you walk in there."
Where it comes from
It comes from American English. Hype first meant flashy or exaggerated promotion, especially in advertising and media, and it was already around in the early 20th century. From there it spread into everyday speech for the buzz around something and the act of talking it up till everybody's losing their minds for it.
